Travel Thoughts and Travel Guides

Sibuyan Island

(May 8, 2012) It was the fourth day of our visit around the Province of Romblon and we were now ready to go and hike Gomot Falls. One of our main destinations in the island of Sibuyan Island.

The day before, we had to visit the Municipal Hall of Cajidiocan since we needed to have permission to enter the land where the Indigenous People (IP) of Cajidiocan resides because that is where Gomot Falls resided. I think it’s also inside Mount Guiting-Guiting Natural Park. Once we got permission to enter the land we finally had our much needed rest for the trek the next day. But the municipality had different plans for us, as we were invited to judge a contest in one of their baranggays.

The event ended at around 1:30 AM and we had to wake up early so we could start our trek early to Gomot Falls.

We woke up at around 6:00 AM, ate breakfast and met with our guides (Kuya Inggo and Kuya Jeffrey) which actually live near the falls. We decided to buy burgers for lunch at a local shop, which was actually a bad move as they have really slow service making us start to leave town at around 7:53 AM. But at least we were starting.

We started at together with Marky of NomadicExperiences.com, Dazl of DazzlingDazzle.com and Pam a friend of Dazl which became our friends too. But after a few minutes it was obvious that the group had different speeds. Dazl and Marky guided by Kuya Inggo were in the fast group. Me and Pam guided by Kuya Jeffrey were in the not so fast group.

So we kept on walking through coconut plantations and through trails without cover. The sun was hot which encouraged us to walk faster for shade.

It was still almost 4PM, when we found a tricycle on our walk from DENR Sibuyan Substation, so we decided our luck to visit Lambingan Falls before we head back to Sanctuary Garden Resort. We negotiated first on how much we would be paying the tricycle driver and once we agreed on a price (sorry I forgot, but I think it was 300 Pesos) we rode the tricycle and directly went to Lambingan Falls.

It took us 20 minutes to get to Lambingan Falls. We were greeted by the staff of the Lambingan Falls and were told to pay the entrance fee to enter the falls.

Entrance Fees

After paying together with out tricycle driver we walked to the trail to the falls. I was happy to see that the development of the waterfalls was like in Dagubdob Picnic Grove where they used little concrete to improve the waterfalls.

After warming up on the hiking tour of Sanctuary Garden Resort in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon we decided to do what the lady on the restaurant suggested to hike to the DENR Sibuyan Substation passing by a dam and Dalipi River. We first asked some of the staff there on how we could go to the places, they told us a series of complex directions and waypoints that I easily disremembered. They also suggested that we could hire a guide for 500 Pesos to accompany us, unfortunately, we were going low on funds. Good thing that Dazl and Jessica was here. But if all else fail there’s still the option of wearing my clothes inside-out to catch the locals attention and ask them for directions.

Dam near the Sanctuary Garden Resort

I thought that the Dam would be more than a couple of hundred meters away from Sanctuary Garden Resort but it was just less than 100 meters away. The clear waters from the Dam and the people already swimming on it was really inviting! I wanted to swim but I can’t as we still needed to continue walking. I thought that maybe I could go back later in the afternoon after our hiking trip to take a dip at the cool waters of the dam. But that did not happen.

When we arrived at Ambulong Port in Sibuyan Island, Romblon for the second time, we were planning to visit the tourist spots of the Municipality of Magdiwang. First things first we needed to look for a place to stay so we could rome around without being restricted by our bags. Dazl already had a plan to stay at Sanctuary Garden Resort and so Jessica and I followed her commands. We negotiated first with a tricycle driver and agreed on a price of 45 Pesos per person for the 15 minute ride to the resort.

Tricycle at Ambulong Port

We passed by the National Highway and saw Mount Guiting-Guiting. According to one of the locals that we talked with on our first trip to Sibuyan Island, he told us that Mount Guiting-Guiting always had a cloud covering it, therefore if we saw the peak of Mount Guiting-Guiting we would eventually marry someone very soon. So if you’re looking for the girl or boy of your dreams maybe you want to try your luck on Sibuyan Island.

View of Mount Guiting-Guiting from the road

Going back to the tricycle ride, we finally arrived at the Sanctuary Garden Resort and I quickly liked the welcoming spacious garden of the resort. On the left was a big pavilion which is their restaurant. On the upper parts of the hill at the back of the restaurant there were rooms. At the farther side there were big houses made from wood and stones.

The ferry, Maria Querubin, was arriving around 6:30AM from San Agustin, Tablas Island and will be leaving for Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island at around 7:30AM. According to the locals of Romblon Island once the ferry docks, it will not take long for it to leave, that is why we should be ready to board when the boat arrives.

We heard a loud honk signalling the ferry’s arrival. Goods were unloaded and loaded. We went inside through the slippery stomach of Maria Querubin. The smell was of industrial oil. Then up through the stairs to the passengers area. (10 Pesos/person terminal fee)

I don’t know if its a general thing for ferries, but I noticed on all the ferries that I rode, not only in Romblon, people would place their stuff on seats and even if there are other passengers that are standing, they would not remove their stuff from the seats. I wish people would be more considerate to others. There’s really nothing you can do but to be an example or ask them kindly for you to be seated.

The locals were right when they told us that the boat will be leaving immediately as it left before 7:30AM, earlier than its scheduled departure.

It was a calm trip in the month of May 2013. Got to see a different perspective of Romblon Island. Story’s of dolphin sighting emerged but they were not seen. It was a 2 hours and 30 minutes journey. Time well spent for getting to know more of Dazl, Pam and Marky. (228 Pesos/person from Romblon Island to Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island)

The boat arrived on Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island. A port made of concrete with the nearby land full of mangroves. The mangroves gave a good impression on me. If a port where many people pass by still has a lot of mangroves then it shows a glimpse on how well preserved the inside is.

Ambulong Port in Magdiwang, Sibuyan Island, Romblon

We went down and asked the jeepneys lined up in the port on where they were going. Some to San Fernando. Some to Cajidiocan. We thought of not riding it yet but there were no longer any jeepneys left. So we boarded and paid 120 Pesos/person for an hour trip to Cajidiocan. 😐

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